There is an increasing desire for the mass population to experience the Internet in general and the World-Wide Web in particular. When compared with real life, the Web-surfing experience is different in several respects. First, without a cable modem or other type of high-speed connection, it takes time for a site to be contacted. Once reached, the site presents a number of choices simultaneously. This pattern of alternating “wait” (for the site to be contacted) and “hurry” (for decisions to be made) often creates a stressful rather than relaxing experience, particularly for new users.
An associated characteristic of the Web which is markedly different from real life is the elimination of the sense of a “metric.” There is no such as being “proximity” on the Web, and while in many situations this is a positive factor, it removes the sense of anticipation or foreseeability that is fundamental to human experience. Since all human senses are geared toward discriminating distance to prioritize reaction, Web experiences, in contrast, may tend to amplify the sense of unreality.
Many people surf the Web to contact or communicate with other people, generally, to make new friends. Currently, there are a number of configurations that this is popularly done; chat rooms, personal ads, email etc. None of which, however, presents a real-life experience of encounter.